Sponsored message
Logged in as
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen
Transportation & Mobility

Portion Of Topanga Canyon Could Be Closed Until Fall

A massive pile of dirt and rocks sits on the roadway having slide from the hillside above. Three orange traffic cones can be seen on the road. Power lines pass through above the roadway.
Caltrans photo of landslide on Topanga Canyon Boulevard.
(
Caltrans
)

One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.

Topline:

A portion of Topanga Canyon Boulevard (SR-27) between Pacific Coast Highway and Grand View Drive will remain closed in both directions due to a March 9 landslide and continuing hillside instability. A Caltrans spokesperson said workers hope to have the road cleared by fall of this year.

Mass could move: “Water continues to seep out from underneath the dirt, mud and rocks, indicating the mass may move at a given moment,” Caltrans spokesperson Jim Medina told LAist. “A rainstorm over this past weekend further saturated the unstable hillside,” he added.

10-foot boulder: Caltrans says a roughly 10-foot boulder that’s visible from the south side is a concern because a huge crack has formed in it with the weight of the hillside pushing down on it. A major landslide occurred near the current one in the 1940s. Caltrans said March’s landslide was twice as large.

How do I get to the beach? Topanga Canyon is a popular route for Angelenos to get to the beach. Medina said it’s safest to stay on the 101 and find alternate routes, staying off of the county-operated roads in the canyon areas.

Caltrans has installed temporary traffic lights at Tuna Canyon Road and PCH.

What’s next: Caltrans’ Geotechnical Services workers are using drone footage and other tools to take pictures of and assess the scope of the landslide. The visible face is estimated to be 80,000 cubic yards and 9.2 million pounds.

Sponsored message

The public can submit questions to Caltrans by emailing: topanga@dot.ca.gov

One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.

If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible donation today